If you land hard on your heel or step down on a hard object like a rock or a Lego, you may deal with heel pain for a short while, but oftentimes heel bruises fade. However, if acute trauma didn’t cause your discomfort, and it’s lingering for an extended period of time, you might be wondering what’s causing your nagging heel pain. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at three common causes of nagging heel pain.
What’s Causing My Chronic Heel Pain?
If you’re dealing with chronic heel pain, especially if the discomfort is worse right away in the morning when you take your first few steps, you may be dealing with one of these three conditions:
Heel Bursitis – Heel bursitis, also classified as heel inflammation, is a common cause of heel discomfort. If chronic stress causes the bursa sac in the area to become inflamed or irritated, you’ll deal with pain, discomfort and localized swelling in the heel area. Switching to a more comfortable shoe, re-examining your activity habits and stretching before movement can all help to take stress off the heel and protect the bursa sac. Be wary of increasing your activity load too quickly, as too much stress in a short time of time is the most common reason for heel bursitis.
Achilles Tendinitis – Achilles tendinitis can develop when the large tendon that runs down the back of your leg become irritated or inflamed. This inflammation is typically the result of overstress to the area, but it could also be caused by your gait and the way pressure is applied to the tendon. Overuse is the most common cause of Achilles tendonitis, and it is treated much the same as heel bursitis, with activity modification, footwear changes and short-term rest to allow the inflammation to subside.
Plantar Fasciitis – Plantar fasciitis is another condition that is ultimately caused by inflammation or irritation of a structure, but this time it is housed in the connective tissues that run on the underside of your foot that connect your heel to your toes. When this thick band of tissue becomes inflamed or irritated, movement and pressure on the area can become painful. You’ll typically notice this with the first few steps after inactivity or as you get out of bed in the morning. Footwear changes and activity modification are helpful in combating plantar fasciitis, but physical therapy to help strengthen structures and take pressure off the plantar fascia is also immensely helpful. Surgery to correct the problem can also be performed, but most people respond well to conservative treatment.
So if you are dealing with chronic heel pain, sync up with a specialist like Dr. Silverman. As you can see, a number of conditions can present with similar symptoms, so it’s important to get an official diagnosis so that you know you’re attacking the correct problem. For more information or for help with your foot or ankle issue, reach out to Dr. Silverman’s office today at (952) 224-8500.
